Fruiting of the MacArthur Palm

My MacArthur Palm (Ptycospermun macarthuri) fruited in late February to early March 2015. And every evening a number of Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) came to feed on the ripe fruits.

The starlings were joined by a few Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) and Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus). The starlings seem to coexist with the bulbuls and mynas as there were no fights. This could be because there were enough fruits for all.

One interesting behavior is that all three species swallow the fruits whole. I suspect that they subsequently regurgitate the seeds. However, there is no photographic evidence, although these starlings do regurgitate fruits of the Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) Link.

We have an earlier post on the starling swallowing fruits of MacArthus Palm LINK that was contributed by a Malaysian birder – no records from Singapore until now. There is also an earlier post on the bulbul swallowing these fruits, this time from Singapore LINK. As for Javan Myna, this is the first record. All these birds are common species and generally ignored by birdwatchers and photographers alike. This is a pity as much can be learnt about their behavior that have yet to be recorded.